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I'm a newcomer here, and have looked around your threads. I'm widely impressed with most of your works, and even a bit intimidated. But I just thought of an introduction that may be suitable.

Bottom line to this story will be -- I would like to ask for your advice on something a bit abstract, and to that effect I'm proposing an experiment to anyone who's interested.

This may sound a bit silly, but please bear with me. My background:

A couple years ago I decided to take some drawing lessons, which I feel opened my eyes a bit. Last year I started getting really interested in portraiture, for reasons I don't fully understand yet. This year I decided to really lean into it. Portray at least a 1,000 people, see where that takes my drawing. I guess I'm trying to find my "voice" when it comes to drawing people.

So... rather that just coming out asking you to comment on portraits of other people I've been doing, I'd like to just draw you.

The only thing I ask in return is that you tell me what you feel about the result. Should I have made you prettier? Could the likeness have been closer? Different type of coloring? Does anything about the drawing I make bother/please you on a personal level?

That kind of thing. The kind of feedback I can't easily get from a person who's not an artist, because they would probably have a hard time putting it into words.

Well then -- if you're interested, just PM or post here your chosen ref picture. I'll usually be quick about it.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Great Idea Pedro, wish I’d thought of it
We do of cause have the annual portrait swap which I take part in.

So to kick things off I’ll join in with this photo.

Dave.

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

That’s a good quick response Pedro you are well on your way .
Did you do it in ball point pen? If so you did a good job as that medium doesn’t allow for any correction, so your perception of space and shapes is already good, by the time you have a few more takers you will really be making strides .
Giving you a critique, the proportion are not to far out. The most glaring discrepancy is that the nose is to vertical, this is throwing you off with the alinement of the eyes. You have given the features to much perspective, the eyes and brows are sloping down to much. Your values are pretty good and the portrait has a good three dimensional look to it.

Hope that’s the sort of feed back you are looking for?

With the portrait swap everyone is welcome and encouraged to take part, it will start again in October when you sign up to participate, the pairing of the participants takes place at the beginning of November.

Dave.

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuchur

@ Journeyman
Is anyone free to draw your portrait (the reference you posted is fantastic, I really like your face!) or is your permission limited to the thread opener?

I have to second that question. As for the drawing, I think its really good. Is there a reason you changed the tilt of the head? You've kept it fairly consistent, but instead of tilting backwards, it tilts forwards. I also think the shading on the forehead is a little heavy. A little more subtly in the fade out would help keep it from flattening out, but that is a tricky thing to manage in pen.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

To Fuchur and Amai or anyone else, feel free to use the reference it was one of the photos I took for the portrait swap. It would be nice to see what you come up with if you do use it, just PM to let me see if you post something in your own thread.

Dave

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

This *is* a very interesting reference photo! Thanks to @Fuchur and @Amai for taking the time to comment; feel free to borrow this thread and post your portraits here, if you like... or just borrow the concept and set up your own threads, as you prefer.

Journeyman, your response was very useful indeed. This is actually a pencil sketch with a little digital treatment, by the way. Do you mind if I add this drawing to my public portfolio?

Reflecting on what you all wrote, I think my main problem at this point boils down to... losing track of the whole.

I tend to draw by going about chain-piecing the elements and defining their positions relative to one another. But whenever I lose sight of the whole composition and focus on specific parts, odd accidents will happen... like the sloping angle of the features, in this case.

I guess this is my inexperience still showing through :-) I will keep working hard to overcome this issue. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Hi Pedro, yes of cause use your drawing how ever you wish, it’s very generous of you the let people use this thread.
Hopefully it will take off and become a very successful thread, especially if more people post references and we all participate and learn together.

Dave

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

I'd rather put it in here than start my own thread, as I'm enjoying reading this one but starting one of my own seems like a serious commitment, although I'm glad GraphicPortraits that you were willing to take it. I did this one just because I loved the reference, although I'm willing to hear suggestions if people have them. I haven't done digital in about a year, and this was my second. Weird day I guess

I agree with you Journeyman that it would be great if the thread takes off. To that end, in the spirit of keeping things going, since I've enjoyed your picture, I'll offer up one of my own. It doesn't have the awesome mood of the last one, but looking through the pictures of myself I have on my computer, there are very few that aren't silly faces in terrible light.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

@Journeyman: Thanks, and looks like this could be fun! I'm glad I stumbled here. I was a bit apprehensive this idea would come across as stupid, but you good people are easing me up.

@Amai: Thanks for joining the party! Your photo has some interesting shadows going around that convey an nice mood, actually. It will be fun to draw this! Now for my thoughts on your portrait of Journeyman:

I really like your interpretation! It shows good vitality, an experienced hand and it stands very well as an illustration... perhaps more so than as a factual representation.

Similar to what happened to me, it seems like your thinking got in the way of your drawing, somehow.

The head frame is solid, and the main features are consistent in relation to one another -- but the connection between both elements is off. Here, see how a little skewering of the facial triangle might help.

Hope you don't mind my tampering with your drawing, but I thought it would be clearer to just convey my point visually. Feel free to do similar annotations on my drawings!

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Thanks for joining in Amai and for Pedro allowing the thread to evolve

I’ve never worked digitally so it’s interesting to see what you came up with using that medium Amai. I think you have a good feeling in your drawing, and that is always something to strive for along with accuracy, getting the two to work together is the enigma

That’s a great photo Amai and I tried to get something of your sophistication to show in my drawing but didn’t get the subtlety or the accuracy.

Dave

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Sophistication? I must have missed something

I like the drawing. Very recognizably me. I especially like the work around the glasses. Usually they kick my butt if I attempt self portraits, but you managed them beautifully.

The only issues I can nit pick, which I probably wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't so familiar with my face, and had to check back to the reference to pin down, is that the shadow side of the jaw is a bit narrow, and the lower features, specifically the tilt of the corner of the lips on the shadow side, and the placement of the nostril in the light (if you look at the philtrum in relation to the nostril on the drawing and on the ref that is easier to see), are a little out of skew because of it.

But like I said, I had to look carefully for that. I think you did a great job with the ref.

Re: Let me draw your portrait, then tell me how you feel about it please!

Thanks for the good feed back Amai, I saw the discrepance with the mouth on the shadow side once I had photographed it, now you have pointed out the other disparities I can see them as well .
It was enjoyable drawing from your photo, I appreciate the opportunity. Dave.

__________________
“What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?”
— Allen Ginsberg
Are you ready for a Journey?
PS Critiques always welcome but no plaudits or emoting please.